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Swiss poached perch

Perch is a delicate freshwater fish found in most lakes in Switzerland. Perch is usually cooked simply and served with a variety of herb sauces.

Ingredients

1 leek (washed, both green and white parts)
4 c water
1⁄2 t salt (or to taste)
2 T butter
1 1⁄2 T flour
1 pn dill (can be ground)
1 pn pepper
1 lb fish (perch fillets, rinsed in cold water and patted dry)
  mixed spice (pickling spice mix)

Instructions

Prepare the poaching liquid

Mix water, leek greens, pickling spice, and salt in a medium-sized pan. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Cook the fish

Place fish fillets in a large frying pan, top with cooked leek greens, and pour over 1 cup of poaching liquid. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Scrape leek, drain fish, reserving the liquid, and remove fillets to a large serving platter. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Prepare the sauce

Pour the liquid used to cook the fish through a sieve and reserve 1 cup of clear stock.

Heat butter in a medium-sized pan until it melts and bubbles. Add the sliced white leek and saute, stirring frequently, until leeks are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, until flour turns light brown. Pour in 1 cup of reserved fish stock, stirring vigorously to blend to a smooth consistency. Mix dill weed, and pepper.

Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

Garnish and serve

Pour sauce over fish fillets.

Garnish with chopped dill leaves, if wished.

Serve.

Total time
1 hour, 15 minutes
Cooking time
30
Preparation time
45
Yield
4 servings

Notes

Use trimmed leek greens for the poaching liquid and sliced leek white bulb for the sauce.

Fish can be fresh or frozen and thawed according to package instructions. If you don't have it, substitute perch with other white fish: use fillets of hake, cod or the kind of white fish available in your area.

Pickling spice mix: Whole or crushed bay leaf, mustard seeds, peppercorns.

Source

Swiss cuisine

It is perch in French speaking cantons and egli in the German ones.

Serve the poached perch fillets with tomatoes Fribourg style on the side. Prepare the tomatoes while the poaching liquid gets ready; and then reserve tomato pieces to garnish the fish with them as well as dill.

easy, healthy
fish and seafood, main course
Swiss food recipes
Food in Europe